With the ongoing development of the science and technology, the Internet has become one of the indispensable information exchange platforms for people.
A hot spot device is an electronic device capable of realizing wireless signal coverage for the Internet access in a certain area. In the area where the wireless signal coverage for the Internet access is realized, wireless local area network (WLAN) equipment (or referred to as WLAN handheld equipment), such as cellular phones, palmtop computers, and notebook computers can communicate with the hot spot device, and they can be connected to the Internet through the hot spot device, thus realizing the Internet access function.
Currently, common hot spot devices are mainly wireless routing gateways, such as the device 1 as shown in FIG. 1, which includes a network connection module, a router chip, a terminal connection module, and an external power source. The router chip may control the network connection module to connect to the Internet through a network cable 3 (broadband), and may control the terminal connection module to communicate with external information processing equipment such as a computer 2, so that the external information processing equipment is connected to the Internet. The external power source supplies electric energy for the network connection module, the router chip, and the terminal connection module through an external power source adapter 4.
The hot spot device may be connected to the external information processing equipment, such as the computer 2, through the network cable 3 as shown in FIG. 1, or it may also, through the terminal connection module, realize the wireless signal coverage of the Internet in a certain area, such that other computers 2 in the wireless signal coverage area can be connected to the Internet through the hot spot device.
A wireless routing gateway is usually placed at a position close to an Internet user. The wireless routing gateway connected to the Internet may realize the wireless signal coverage in an area required by the Internet user. Within a range of 10 meters to 100 meters from the wireless routing gateway, the user only needs to bring a notebook computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA) supporting the wireless signals into the range and be connect to the Internet, so as to access the Internet.
In the implementation of the present invention, the inventor finds that although the hot spot devices in the prior art are more or less able to realize the wireless signal coverage for the Internet in a certain area, at least the following problems exist.
Router chips in the prior art have a relatively high power-consumption rate and a large volume. Thus, the wireless routing gateways usually need an external power supply, such that the wireless routing gateways can normally only be placed at a position close to the Internet user. Also, the router chips in the prior art have a relatively high cost.